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Homeland Security Uses eClinicalWorks® to Manage Care Across Its Facilities

eClinicalWorks® has become the proven technology of choice for physician practices across the nation. However, adding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to its client list is showing just how flexible the cloud-based technology really is. The federal agency is now using eClinicalWorks® (eCW) across its system of 23 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities to provide integrated medical care.

Providing Full Integration

“eClinicalWorks® has been working with ICE to rapidly deploy this solution with features that are unique to this organization,” said Deanna Gephart, deputy assistant director of operations for ICE Health Services. In addition to electronic patient records, eCW is helping ICE achieve full integration, including laboratory, radiology and pharmacy data. ICE leadership also made their decision based on eCW’s ability to seamlessly integrate with their current systems. eCW will help the 23 detention facilities share information between 1,000 medical professionals.

Unique Needs

A federal detention facility has unique needs compared to that of a doctor’s office. The function of the ICE is to detain illegal aliens that have violated U.S. immigration law. While in custody, they receive medical, dental and mental health evaluations, and are treated accordingly. The collection and maintenance of that data is quite a daunting task. eCW is helping to streamline and improve health care, especially for providers that care for chronic patients within the ICE facilities. Processes such as screening process flows, electronic medication administration, preventive services schedules and infirmary management are unique functions of the ICE that eCW is providing solutions for.

eClinicalWorks® is a proven solution across the medical industry, from small doctor’s offices to large, multi-function government agencies. Regardless of your specialty, practice size or current technologies, EMR Billing Solutions is here to help your office achieve the benefits offered through eCW implementation.

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Private Medical Practice and eClinicalWorks® Billing Solutions

Many private medical practices use eClinicalWorks® for Electronic Medical Records (EMR). As an EMR vendor, they provide award-winning products and services. Unfortunately, advances in technology tend to increase the amount of tasks that need to be accomplished in a day. The costs of hiring more staff and purchasing new equipment, to stay current, in the technology-based world we live in, become prohibitive to keeping prices competitive. To keep the average practice running smoothly and expenditures low, most offices will outsource as many services as possible. This tends to lead to a need for eClinicalWorks® billing solutions.

There are a multitude of companies that will maintain your billing services; however, many charge fees that include licensing, hosting, maintenance, and much more. Then, they will charge you extra fees for providing phone service, untangling of backlogged accounts receivable, and control of the flow of faxes through your office. Several of these companies don’t actually have the capacity to offer some of these services to you, regardless of extra fees. As with most technological services available, part of the over all expense is tied to a lengthy contract.

At EMR Billing Solutions, we understand that as a small business your revenue is what keeps everything going. As specialists in eClinicalWorks® medical billing needs, we can solve all of your billing needs, including answering your patient’s billing questions, and clearing all your old accounts receivable, for one low fee and no demanding contract.

With different plans available, EMR Billing Solutions can ensure that your patient’s questions are answered by fully qualified HIPAA certified staff, as well as invoices sent and followed up with on time. Our experts can also organize your faxes so that each is filed and routed to the correct provider for review, immediately reducing clerical hours, and increasing patient care. Your time and resources are precious. Let us help you grow your business with as much care as you provide your patients.

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eClinicalWorks® Recognized as an EMRAM Certified Educator

HIMSS Analytics recently announced eClinicalWorks® has been designated as an Electronic Medical Record Adoption Method (EMRAM) Certified Educator. EMRAM is an eight-step strategy created to help health care organizations analyze their level of EMR adoption. “This certification will benefit organizations looking to analyze their adoption of EMR technology. We welcome being part of the program,” said CEO and Co-founder of eClinicalWorks® Girish Navani.

About the Designation

Since 2005, HIMSS Analytics has been tracking EMR adoption across the country. That data is used to help heath care organizations through the eight-step process, analyzing their level of EMR adoption, charting accomplishments and benchmarking progress against other organizations nationally. Venders reach EMRAM Certified Educator status by passing an annual certification exam and committing to an annual educator program. The process ensures that eClinicalWorks® stays current with EMR trends and is prepared with the knowledge needed to help their clients advance through the stages of EMR implementation. EMRAM helps organizations align IT initiatives with their overall business strategy.

Why Important?

EMRAM not only gives providers and hospitals the opportunity for recognition, advancing to each stage provides tangible evidence that the organization is effectively implementing and using EMR technology. Aligning this technology with overall practice management is key to providing quality care and streamlining costs. eClinicalWorks® is dedicated to providing the most efficient platform to help providers achieve these objectives. “A major goal is having our customers utilizing the EMR the most beneficial way possible for both providers and patients,” continued Navani. EMR Billing Solutions is the eClinicalWorks® experts. Let our professionals help your practice or organization benefit from the EMRAM process.

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Four Reasons eClinicalWorks® Providers Should Be Using EFT

In the past, many providers opted to not accept payment via an electronic funds transfer (EFT) because the lack of guidelines governing the process often led to delayed transactions and more administration time to match payments and claims. However, under the Affordable Care Act new standards for EFT transactions began to be enforced in January 2014, turning EFT into the preferred payment method for many providers. Are you reaping the benefits of EFT?

  1. Decrease administrative time. EFT payments are quick and easy to match with outstanding claims. Each payment has a reassociation number that easily identifies it for accounting purposes, a feature unique to EFT transactions.
  2. Get paid faster. The new standards have eliminated delays in EFT transactions, making this method faster than paper checks and credit card payments. The funds are available as quickly as making a deposit into your banking account.
  3. Get greater security. Checks and credit card numbers are often the targets of fraud. EFT transactions are secure, and the legislation requires compliance with HIPAA privacy standards.
  4. Save money. EFT transactions are significantly cheaper than other forms of payment, costing only an average of 34 cents per transaction. According to the US Healthcare Efficiency Index Report, providers will save around $1.50 per transaction by choosing EFT over checks and $10 or more per transaction for using EFT over wire transfers or credit cards. The Department of Health and Human Services estimates practices and hospitals could save up to $4.5 billion over the next decade by using EFT.

Any office manager knows the problems that are created when reassociation and reconciliation management issues occur. EFT is just one strategy providers are using to manage the billing process more efficiently. eClinicalWorks® providers have the benefit of a comprehensive practice management system. Manage your workflow from patient check-in to the claims and billing process through one platform. Let EMR Billing Solutions help you get the most out of eClinicalWorks®.

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eClinicalWorks® Revenue Cycle Management: Helping Meet the Challenge of High Deductible Plans

The medical billing arena is seeing massive changes in 2015. While having more patients with health insurance is a positive step, many health leaders are concerned about the number of patients that purchased high deductible plans through state and federal marketplaces. Their decisions were often made because these plans have the lowest upfront cost. However, many do not have a thorough understanding of how the plans work. Essentially, high-deductible plans place more accountability on the patient. Unfortunately, self-pay can often lead to greater risk for the provider, significantly impacting collections and billing. How can providers meet this challenge?

Patient Education

Providers are often left with the burden of explaining health plans to their patients. Medical offices are finding that patients made health plan decisions based on the monthly premium cost. However, they don’t quite understand how it works. In their defense, many plans are complicated, having deductible components, co-pay provisions and services that are covered via co-insurance. It’s difficult for them to understand their financial responsibility and they often look to the provider to explain. Providers are finding it benefits them to be proactive in providing education. It’s better to deal with a thankful patient than one that is irate later. Providers are also coming up with payment plans for patients with high deductible plans.

Use eClinicalWorks® to Meet Challenges

Proactive patient education makes sense, but many offices struggle to find the staff time to dedicate to patient advocacy. EMR Billing Solutions helps your office utilize eClinicalWorks® to make the education and billing process as efficient as possible. When you subscribe to our PLUS service, we become your billing department. Patients call a dedicated number that goes directly to our staff, professionally trained billers that can answer questions about co-pays, deductibles and all the details on the patient invoice. Our staff is committed to spending the time necessary to help each patient understand his or her obligation. In fact, we don’t wait for the patient to call us. If payment is not received within 14 days, we call the patient to confirm they received the invoice and answer any questions they have.

Let EMR Billings Solutions help your office through this challenging time of health care reform by using eClinicalWorks® revenue cycle management. Contact our experts to learn more.

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eClinicalWorks® Practice Management News: Does HIPAA Allow Providers to Charge Patients for Access to Their EMR?

For many years, patients have paid a fee for copies of their medical records. These fees are often in the form of a flat rate or a per page charge. Some providers simply use their state’s fee for public records requests, which is usually $1 per page. However, in light of the emergence of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), is it really fair to continue to charge the same fee that was previously applied to paper records? More importantly, are traditional fees in line with HIPAA requirements?

What Does HIPAA Say?

HIPAA allows providers to charge patients a “reasonable, cost-based fee” for obtaining their medical records. This is not new verbiage. However, the definition of “reasonable, cost-based fee” has changed somewhat now that the Affordable Care Act has required EMR conversion. Simply put, providers can’t charge an unreasonable rate for medical records. What’s reasonable? That is up for debate. One dollar per page doesn’t seem unreasonable when you consider the administrative time to find and send records. However, if you are a patient with a chronic condition, you may have hundreds of pages of medical records. In this case, is charging such a high rate to transfer electronic records to the patient “reasonable?”

Survey Says Most Providers Stick to Old Fees

The American Health Information Management Association recently surveyed health care providers about their fee structure for obtaining medical records. Fifty-three percent charge patients for electronic copies of their medical records and 65 percent charge for paper copies. Sixty-five percent charge less than $1 per page and 24 percent follow their state’s public records fee, which is usually $1 per page. Are these providers in compliance with HIPAA? That question has not been specifically addressed. However, if an office follows state public records rates or the same rate they used to charge for pulling manual paper records, are they really basing the fee on their actual cost?

In light of EMR conversion, it is likely we’ll see some discussion on just what constitutes a “reasonable” fee in the future. For now, it would be advisable for providers to evaluate the fees they charge patients for medical records. Are the fees based on the actual cost to the practice? eClinicalWorks® provides the perfect platform for easy access to patient records, reducing the administrative time required and actual cost for providers. Examine this topic as part of your eClinicalWorks® practice management strategy.

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What is eclinicalworks ® and How Does it Work?

The name, eclinicalworks ® is gaining much popularity, it seems to be heard over, and again, still many people are asking, what is eClinicalWorks ®? With growing popularity, this company now services more than 100,000 different providers across the United States, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

eClinicalWorks ® is a company that sells electronic medical record (EMR), practice management (PM) and personal health record (PHR) software and services to health care providers.

Benefits of the eClinicalWorks ® system include:

Integrated Modules: Modules let providers review patient histories, past visits, current medications, allergies, labs and diagnostic tests while also managing patient accounts and verifying eligibility for services. Thanks to this integrated module, patients have more control over their health care than ever before, and there is no longer a need to pick up the phone and call the office; with benefits such as, requesting prescription refills, sending messages to their physicians, and viewing their lab results, and appointment reminders.

Mobile Browser: eClinicalWorks ® also offers a  mobile browser that health care providers can access using a smart phone and an embedded messaging service based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). These features compliment our on-the-go way of living.

Because of the amazing benefits of eClinicalWorks ®, it is changing the way healthcare is done, for the better. Health care providers, and their customers are much happier using this system.

For more information on eClinicalWorks ® and how it can benefit your practice, please contact EMR Billing Solutions. We would be delighted to help you make your business better, and add to the lives of your patients.

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What is eclinicalworks® and How Does it Work?

The name, eclinicalworks® is gaining much popularity, it seems to be heard over, and again, still many people are asking, what is eClinicalWorks ®? With growing popularity, this company now services more than 100,000 different providers across the United States, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

eClinicalWorks® is a company that sells electronic medical record (EMR), practice management (PM) and personal health record (PHR) software and services to health care providers.

Benefits of the eClinicalWorks® system include:

Integrated Modules: Modules let providers review patient histories, past visits, current medications, allergies, labs and diagnostic tests while also managing patient accounts and verifying eligibility for services. Thanks to this integrated module, patients have more control over their health care than ever before, and there is no longer a need to pick up the phone and call the office; with benefits such as, requesting prescription refills, sending messages to their physicians, and viewing their lab results, and appointment reminders.

Mobile Browser: eClinicalWorks® also offers a  mobile browser that health care providers can access using a smart phone and an embedded messaging service based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). These features compliment our on-the-go way of living.

Because of the amazing benefits of eClinicalWorks®, it is changing the way healthcare is done, for the better. Health care providers, and their customers are much happier using this system.

For more information on eClinicalWorks® and how it can benefit your practice, please contact EMR Billing Solutions. We would be delighted to help you make your business better, and add to the lives of your patients.

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Should You Hire a Billing Employee asks EclinicalWorks® Specialist?

It was fine when you were first starting out: your office manager could handle billing and tend to her other duties. But now that you’re more established, you seem to be seeing new patients every day and your employee is feeling overwhelmed. Is it time to hire an employee just to take care of the money?

  • You need to make sure you can afford one. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a medical biller averages $37,710 per year, or $18.13 per hour. You can probably hire one for under $22,700 annually, or $10.91 hourly. But if you want quality performance, you may have to pay over $57,320 a year, or $27.56 an hour.
  • Employee expenses don’t end there. You have to cover taxes, insurance, disability, and any benefits you choose to provide. That easily increases the cost of an employee by 30 percent or more.
  • Either you or your office manager must spend time training, managing, and motivating the new biller. When this new employee calls in sick or is on vacation, who takes care of his responsibilities? If the number of patients increases, do you spend the money and time on another billing employee, or overwhelm your office manager with additional tasks.

A more convenient and cost-effective solution is to hire a billing service. Through eClinicalWorks®Electronic Medical Record, we take care of everything from managing the bills to handling customer inquiries. We can also easily cope with any increases in patient load. Why don’t you contact us to see how we can help you.

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Study Has eCW EMR Users Questioning the Future of Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is a buzzword often used in accord with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software. A proactive, interactive approach is an integral part of new health care models brought about by the Affordable Care Act and new guidelines within HIPAA legislation. HIPAA mandates that patients have the right to restrict certain medical records from third-party distribution. In theory, that means if an insurance company or another physician requests medical records from a health care provider, the patient has the right to say he or she wants part of the record restricted. However, a recent study shows the importance of balancing patient engagement with quality care. The research, led by the Regenstrief Institute in partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine and Eskenazi Health, is raising concerns about just how far patient engagement, specifically access, should go. How much access should patients get to their medical records? Consider the study’s findings.

The Trial

The study included a six-month trial of 105 patients that were part of a Eskenazi primary care clinic. The participants were granted patient controlled access to their EMR, meaning they could choose what information their doctors were able to access. Almost 50 percent admitted they hid certain information from some or all of their providers. The data most commonly blocked from physicians was dealing with sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse or mental health. For the trail, providers were able to override patient preferences and view the information the patient blocked.

Mixed Feelings

Providers had mixed feelings about the trial. Some felt privacy laws give patients the right to control their EMR, even if that means hiding information. However, these physicians admitted that patients need to understand hiding information can have dangerous consequences. Other doctors “strongly objected” to patients having this authority. They expressed concern about patient care and physician liability if improper care was the result of insufficient data. Other providers expressed concern that patients may not reveal sensitive data at all if they do not have the right to choose which providers have access to it.

The transition to EMR is happening rapidly and there’s no doubt the technology will continue to evolve. Physicians can count on EMR Billing Solutions to keep up with the latest research and legislation to provide the most efficient, user-friendly system available. Let our experts help your office get the most out of eClinicalWorks® (eCW).

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